How Europe's biggest teams will help the A-League

The big names of European football are about to tour Australia. While few would disagree that the matches will benefit these giants, there is a question of whether it will be a positive for the A-League. I’m of the view that it will be, if you think long-term.

here to help ... Real Madrid's global superstar Cristiano Ronaldo (AFP) Source: AFP

For many Australian fans, opportunities to watch their favourite teams from Europe live in the flesh, not to mention the superstar footballers that turn out for them, are few and far between.

Having been fortunate enough to witness this in Australia and overseas I am well aware of just how special it can be to see the world’s top professionals up close.

There is much evidence that these type of tours by great teams in the early 20th Century helped football flourish around the world.

There is no doubt the arrival of Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester City, Inter Milan, Roma, Tottenham Hotspur is a massive 'win' for football fans and the game in general.

The boost in media coverage and exposure to those that are not regular followers of the beautiful game could only be rivalled by the FIFA World Cup.

A press conference with Jose Mourinho could be just as entertaining as an Eden Hazard dribble, while Cristiano Ronaldo might end up setting fashion trends from Darwin to Hobart… but hopefully not.

It means football will be a focal point at a time when the A-League isn’t even in season, surely a massive triumph for the game in Australia.

There would be also little argument about how these tours help the giant teams of Europe and I've already written of how this will benefit the likes of Madrid and Chelsea. 

The major question is, does it help the A-League and its clubs?

Unfortunately, it appears a complicated answer to a simple question and one that cannot be known for certain yet, but on the whole and in the long term I believe it will.

It is easy to see how the presence of these clubs could diminish the value of what is on offer domestically and might even take money away from it.

While the A-League does a great job of entertaining in its own right, most realise it is not at the level of the top European leagues, so the best way for the competition to grow its support and financial base is to improve the quality of the product on the field.

The transfer of knowledge is absolutely vital for this to occur and when some of the very best protagonists of the game - on and off the field - are on your doorstep, it is a golden opportunity to learn, share and form invaluable connections.

Pitting A-League sides against these teams on the pitch is also excellent for the long-term development of football domestically.

Australia is already the Asian champion at club and international team level, so to continue pushing forward it must test itself against the best in the world.

While I don’t see myself as some laissez-faire, neo-liberal ready to pour scorn on Yanis Varoufakis, I do believe that competition is an ideal way of producing a better product, particularly in football.

Would England have won the 1966 World Cup had Hungary not come to Wembley and humbled The Three Lions in 1953? It’s possible, but few could argue that game didn’t have a major impact on tactical thinking in England.

It opened many coaches eyes to what was happening across the channel, including Alf Ramsey, because they realised it was superior to the outdated methods in England at the time.

While global tactical knowledge is far more accessible today than it was back then, what playing top sides like Chelsea, Liverpool and Villarreal will do is expose weaknesses that may not be seen by playing an A-League opponent.

While some technical and tactical errors in domestic matches can be hidden, against top level opposition they will be ruthlessly exposed.

Bringing top-level European teams to these shores can therefore help to improve the domestic competition in many ways and, eventually, lead to an improved spectacle for the fans in Australia.

Possibly some day, the world’s best football teams won’t be coming to Australia in a post or pre-season tour, but to compete for titles against A-League opponents.